What To Watch - March 24-26, 2017

Some of the top programs are taking a week off to recharge their batteries but there are still plenty of others that will be in action this weekend.

Women’s Tennis
Eighth-ranked Vanderbilt travels south to play No. 11 Auburn. Vanderbilt has won four of its last five but is coming off a loss at No. 13 Kentucky. Auburn started off the year by winning 18 of its first 19 matches but it has dropped three straight after losing to No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 16 LSU last weekend. Auburn dominated the series from 1981 to 1993 by winning 14 of 16 meetings but Vanderbilt has taken the last 26 including twice last season. Vanderbilt won the regular season meeting at home 4-3 and then the second meeting came in the NCAA Sweet 16 with Vanderbilt winning 4-0.

Two of the Big 12’s highest ranked teams will tangle on Sunday in Lubbock as No. 9 Texas Tech hosts No. 15 Baylor. Texas Tech has won seven in a row and is coming off road wins over No. 47 Northwestern and Illinois. Baylor has won three straight and is coming off a 4-0 win over No. 20 Texas A&M. Baylor leads the overall series 26-13 but Texas Tech won last season’s meeting in Waco by a 4-2 score.

BYU-Hawaii, which is the top ranked team in Division II, heads to the mainland this weekend to face seventh-ranked Columbus State. The BYU-Hawaii Seasiders bring a perfect 17-0 record into the weekend and in those 17 wins they’ve outscored their opponents 136-7. The Columbus State Cougars enter the weekend with a 10-1 record and have won eight in a row. BYU-Hawaii and Columbus State have played each other in six of the last seven years with BYU-Hawaii winning all seven matches including a 5-2 win in last year’s NCAA Sweet 16.

Men’s Tennis
The top two teams in the Big Ten will square off on Sunday in Ann Arbor when No. 16 Michigan hosts No. 3 Ohio State. Michigan has won four in a row and is coming off a 7-0 win over Michigan State. Ohio State won 16 of its first 17 matches but the Buckeyes have dropped two straight after falling to No. 6 Texas and No. 8 Texas A&M. Michigan leads the all-time series 67-35-3 but the Wolverines last win in the series came all the way back in 2001. Ohio State defeated Michigan twice last season with the second coming in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.

Top-ranked Wake Forest will be back in the state of Georgia for the second weekend in a row when the Demon Deacons visit Atlanta to face No. 17 Georgia Tech. Wake Forest won a 4-3 thriller over No. 14 Georgia last Friday and then on Tuesday Wake defeated Virginia Tech 7-0. Georgia Tech has won its last eight but the Yellow Jackets last took the court two weeks ago when they defeated Miami (FL) 5-1. Georgia Tech leads the all-time series 23-19 but Wake Forest has won the last six, which includes a 5-2 win last year in Winston-Salem.

Barry University, ranked No. 2 in Division II, hosts No. 3 St. Leo on Sunday afternoon in Miami Shores. The Barry Buccaneers will bring a 10-1 record into the match and are coming off wins over No. 31 Indianapolis and Auburn-Montgomery. The St. Leo Lions are currently 7-2 and are coming off wins over No. 22 St. Mary’s (TX) and No. 36 Grand Valley State. St. Leo won last season’s meeting 6-3 which marked the first time in school that the Lions had defeated the Buccaneers. St. Leo played for the national championship last season coming up just short while Barry has played for the national championship six times in the last nine years with the Buccaneers winning titles in 2010, 2013, and 2015.

Make sure you follow each of these matches at the provided live scoring links and follow me on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.

If you want to read my thoughts and predictions on this weekends action you can head over to my site College Tennis Today.